

Pennington
Soil & Water Conservation District
Celebrating 75 Years of Conservation 1948-2023
Rural Beautification
Each year the Pennington SWCD presents the Rural Beautification Award to a rural landowner who has incorporated landscaping and conservation practices on their property. The winner is honored with an article about their home in the local paper, in the SWCD newsletter, and during the Pennington SWCD Annual Banquet in April.
Congratulations!
2022 Rural Beautification Winners
Wade and Marisa Benson
Faye Auchenpaugh
from Smiley Township
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Congratulations to our 2022 Rural Beautification winners, Wade and Marisa Benson & Faye Auchenpaugh. "Grandpa's Farm", as Marisa called it, is a third-generation property located in Smiley Township.
As you look about the property you see beautifully arranged flower beds, vegetable and fruit gardens, and rows of stately trees helping to break the wind. Many of the artifacts from grandpa and grandma's original farmstead are strategically placed about the property. There is a screened-in structure where the old farmhouse used to stand called the "Pavilion" where family and friends gather. The old schoolhouse that Faye attended, as well as her parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins was moved to the property in 2015 and renovated thereafter.
This beautiful rural property contains memories from the past, updates for the present, and lots of ideas still being conceived for the future.
Thank you Wade, Marisa, and Faye for making Pennington County a more beautiful place to live.